It wasn't a lot of snow, but the weather office is calling for more over the next 24 hours across the central Vancouver Island region. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

here's winter

Snowfall warning calls for more snow & changing driving conditions

Nov 7, 2022 | 9:22 AM

NANAIMO — An overnight skiff of snow has arrived with the promise of more to come.

Some light flurries in the Nanaimo region occurred overnight Monday, Nov. 7 with Environment Canada calling for upwards of seven centimetres more before the system is set to clear on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“A low pressure (system) off Vancouver Island will help draw out cold air from the B.C. interior. As it crosses the Strait of Georgia, localized pockets of heavy snow will develop across southeast Vancouver Island,” the snowfall warning from Environment Canada read.

Forecasts for Nanaimo suggest two centimetres could fall Monday, with five more overnight into Tuesday morning.

Whatever does fall is expected to come quickly, according to the weather office.

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“Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations,” the warning read. “Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow.”

The early fall of flurries comes with the potential to create some hazardous driving conditions for vehicles and drivers who haven’t made the switch over to winter tires.

Chris Cowley with Mainland Contracting said the first push of winter is always tricky to deal with.

“This season where there’s a little bit of freezing here or there, it’s possibly more dangerous because the winter conditions may not be as obvious, the icing and traction issues we can develop out there.”

Work to winter-proof the roads has been ongoing for weeks with pre-treatment of area highways to prevent freezing.

Cowley said drivers should take a hint if they’re scraping ice off their windshield before heading out for the day.

“At night and through the wee hours of the morning is the most risky period, so I would definitely advise drivers to give yourself a little extra time and be watching for black ice conditions, especially if the cloud cover disappears on us.”

BC Ferries cancelled two sailings on Monday due to weather conditions, with a third at risk of cancellation as of Monday morning.

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